Dad Got Sued After Minor Accident

My dad works for a small company where he drives kids to school. He uses his own car. He was involved in a car accident where police report said he was at fault, there were no injuries and no one was taken to the hospital.

He continued to drive the teenager kid after the accident and the kid would run to his car as if nothing happened .

Few months later, my dad received a letter saying he’s being sued by teenager mom for 1 mil for “serious injuries and suffering”

Is the company he works for responsible for hiring him a lawyer? if he was considered an independent contractor, would that change anything ?